As the capability of IP networks and network infrastructure has increased, and the quality of Internet-based video streaming technology has improved, the popularity of Internet streaming for video distribution has increased tremendously. One common method of implementing streaming video is transmitting the video program from a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) server to a web-based HTTP client. Web-based streaming video is pervasive because of the simplicity of access, in that a user simply clicks on a link to view video content.
Video streaming technology faces some difficulties, however. In some cases, when a user requests video content, there can be a considerable delay before the content starts playing. In some cases, streaming video content is interrupted or stalled because of heavy network and/or poor link conditions. In other cases, even if the network link initially starts out good, the viewing experience may be later degraded due to changing network conditions.